SCHOOLTRIPSANDVISITSPOLICYThispolicyhasbeenwrittenforallthreesectionsoftheSchoolincompliancewiththe

WelshAssemblyGovernmentguidelines2008.

IntroductionAn educational trip or visit has enormous potential for enriching the school curriculum and, in some cases it is an essential requirement of examination courses. Such enterprises, though demanding, can be enjoyable experiences for both students and staff. Thousands of school trips and visits take place every year, the vast majority safely and without incident. However, we are all aware that very occasionally things can and do go wrong. It is, therefore, very important that all trips and visits are properly planned and organised and that all staff involved withschooltripsandvisitstakeallreasonablestepstoensurethatrisksareminimised.This policy has been written with regard to the Health and Safety Executive ‘School trips and outdoor learning activities’, June 2011 and the Department for Education ‘Advice on Legal Duties and Powers For Local Authorities, Head Teachers, Staff and Governing Bodies.’ Essentially this new document summarises the existing health and safety law relevant to schools and how it affects governing bodies, head teachers and other staff. However, St John’s College uses its basis for excursions on the ten points outlined in the now superseded DCSF documentHealthandSafetyonEducationalVisits(HASPEV).DeKinitionFor the purpose of this policy, a school trip or visit is deSined as any occasion when a student or group of students are away from the school campus, undertaking a school activity and under the supervision of a member of staff. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the word ‘trip’ will largely be used throughout this policy but where this occurs, please understand ‘trip and/orvisit’,asappropriate.Thispolicypaysattentiontothefollowingguidance:● Childrenshouldbeabletoexperienceawiderangeofactivities.HealthandSafety

measuresshouldhelpthemtodothissafely,notstopthem;● Itisimportantthatchildrenlearntounderstandandmanagetherisksthatareanormal

partoflife;● Commonsenseshouldbeusedinassessingandmanagingtherisksofanyactivity.

Healthandsafetyproceduresshouldalwaysbeproportionatetotherisksofanactivity;● Staffshouldbegiventhetrainingtheyneedsotheycankeepthemselvesandthe

childrensafeandmanageriskseffectively.There is no longer any requirement by law for schools to have an EVC. However, the Senior Deputy Head has the role of Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC). He can give advice about all aspects of school trips and visits. He has copies of relevant documentation from the Health and Safety Executive and other agencies. Staff are asked to consult as fully as possible with the EVC before, during, and after a school trip or visit. Feedback from trips and visits is an important mechanismforensuringagainstfutureincidents.

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PermissionforandnotiKicationofSchooltrips

The EVC must be notiSied of all occasions when a student or group of students leave the school premises, either accompanied by members of staff or to meet members of staff at a pre-arranged location. This forms a key part of the duty of care we owe to students. It is not easy to give a deSinitive list of such trips, but examples include trips to museums, galleries and theatres, trips to educational conferences, trips for boarders, both in the evenings and at weekends, residential trips such as skiing holidays or CCF camps, Duke of Edinbugh’s Award expeditions and all sports Sixtures and sports tours. If staff are in doubt about the nature of a triporvisitthentheyshouldseektheadviceoftheEVC.All staff must complete a School Trip Application Form before departing on a school trip andgivetheformtotheSeniorDeputyHead/EVCThe EVC must also give permission before any trip can take place. Staff wishing to organise a trip must complete a School Trip Proposal Form and submit it as far in advance as possible. (Copies of the relevant Trip Proposal and Trip Information forms appear at the end of this document.) After the calendar has been checked for clashes, and after the Senior Deputy Head has been consulted where relevant, the EVC will give approval for ‘routine’ day trips. Any residential visits, or visits likely to have a signiSicant impact on the day to day running of the school, need to be approved by the EVC in consultation with the Headmaster, and School Accountant using the separate Proposal Form for Residential Trips. Where possible, proposals for residential trips should be made to the Headmaster and Senior Deputy Head for approval, one full academic year in advance of the trip so that parents can be given fair warning of any signiSicantadditionalcosts.Staff must not spend any money or inform students or parents that a trip or visit is going ahead until it has been formally approved and all four sections of the relevant form have beensigned.PlanningTripsandVisitsThe following list is not exhaustive, but it tries to summarise what needs to be done during the planning and organisation of a trip. The list also gives further ideas about areas for risk assessment.● Ensuring all staff (volunteers/parents helpers where appropriate) understand their role

and responsibilities and where appropriate, for example, expedition leaders in DofE or an ofSicial supervisory role within CCF, they have received appropriate training and have been ofSicially recognised as competent to lead such activities (see appendix 9 for OutdoorLearningCompetenciescompetencies)

● Follow the School’s approved process for checking the competency or suitability of a memberofstafftoleadoraccompanyatriporexpedition(seeappendix9)

● Studentbehaviourandexpectation● Facilities/equipmentthegroupwillneedtotake● Facilities/equipmentprovidedatthevenue● StafftrainingneedsE.G.FirstAidqualiSication

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● Designatingsomeonetorecordthevisitandcarryaccidentforms,etc.● Transport arrangements, including meeting arrangements for trips which leave before

the start of morning school and collection arrangements for trips which return after the endofnormalschool

● AppropriateRiskAssessments● Insurancearrangements● Communicationarrangements● Supervisionratio● Contingencyplansforenforcedchangesofplansorlatereturn● Informationtoparents● Informationtoschool● Preparing students, including specialist training for CCF or DofE activities and medical

needs● Arrangementsforsendingstudentshomeearly● FirstAidprovision● Medicalinformation● Emergency procedures, including contact details and permission for emergency medical

treatmentiftheparentscannotbecontacted.

Members of staff are strongly encouraged to plan their pattern of trips and visits for the coming academic year as early as they can, preferably by May half-term. This allows clashes to be kept to a minimum. Trips and visits planned well in advance must be included in the termly school calendar. Events listed in the school calendar take priority over non-calendared events. The earlier a trip is planned, the more likely it is to be approved. If two events clash, then the Senior DeputyHeadwillresolvethematter.Students must miss lessons as rarely as possible. While it is often easy to justify a trip from the beneSit to one’s own subject, lessons missed in other subjects need to be considered. Obviously, there will be times when it is impossible to avoid taking students out during lesson time,butfullconsiderationmustbemadeofalternativetimesbeforemakingsuchadecision.Staff organising a trip must consult as widely as possible with colleagues who might be affected and think carefully about the possible impact of a trip. For example, as far as possible, trips should not be organised on busy games afternoons, and residential trips should take place duringschoolholidaystoavoidalossofteachingtime.InformingOtherPeopleIt is essential that all people concerned with the trip are fully informed at appropriate times. Once the planning has been completed and the trip has been approved, the full details of the trip must be prepared. These details, together with copies of letters for parents, must be submittedtotheEVCbeforebeingsentout.CommunicatingwithparentsParents must be informed in writing about all trips. Written consent is not required for students to take part in the majority of off-site activities organised by a school (with the exception of nursery age children), however this School operates a policy where Parental permission is required for all trips. It is acceptable for this permission to be gained through

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an ‘opt out’ system rather than by asking parents to complete a consent form and send it back. For example, a phrase along the lines of ‘It will be assumed that you are happy for your son/daughter to go on the trip unless we hear otherwise’ is acceptable. This method may be easier where whole Year groups are being taken out and/or when a trip takes place during normal school hours. However, where smaller numbers are involved, where a trip leaves very early or returns very late, and for all residential visits, speciSic signed permission must be obtained from parents. Trip leaders must have an alternative option planned for any student whoseparentsdeclinepermissiontogoonatrip.If a trip involves overnight accommodation, parents must be given full details of the type of accommodation provided and the security arrangements which are in place to ensure the safety of their child. They must be fully informed as to the nature of the trip, with a clear indication if the students may be unaccompanied while away from school. Parents must acknowledge that their child is Sit enough to go on the trip, outline any health problems and authorise the leader of the party to act on their behalf in an emergency. They must also provide acontactnumberforthedurationofthetrip.For longer trips, particularly those overseas, it is essential to hold a Parents’ Information Evening a few weeks before departure. This allows information to be shared, questions to be asked and answered, and reassurance to be given where appropriate. The publication of an informationbookletforparentsandstudentsisalsostronglyadvised. InformingtheSchoolThe School must also know all the relevant details for a trip. The School Trip Information Form must be completed in full and given to the Senior Deputy Head, in his role as EVC, well in advance of the departure date. For day trips this should be at least one week before the trip departs. For residential trips, where possible the School Trip Information Form should be handed in at least 2 weeks prior to departure so that any concerns or problems that may arise can be sorted out. This form, when properly completed, must contain all the information required about a trip. It will also include a basic risk assessment procedure (see below). The member of staff leading the trip will ensure that copies of the relevant information are given to the Headmaster, to reception staff and are pinned on the notice board in the staffcommonroom.The trip leader must ensure that he/she is in possession of all parental consent forms and all contact number details throughout the trip, as well as Medical Forms. The School Secretarycanhelpwiththeproductionofcontactnumbersifconsultedinduetime.The EVC acts as the school contact for the trip. If the EVC is unable to do this, for example for a residential trip during the school holidays, it is up to the trip leader to ensure that another seniorcolleagueisdesignatedastheschoolcontact.CostofSchoolTripsStaff must think carefully about the cost of a school trip. Some parents have Sinancial constraints and it must not be assumed that all parents can simply add extras to their school bill. Costs should be kept to a minimum and parents must be given the chance to decline a trip

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on Sinancial grounds. In such a case provision must be made for the student who cannot go on atrip.It is very important that the cost of trips is recovered by the school, via the Accounts Department, as quickly as possible. Indeed, if it is possible to charge for a trip before it has taken place then this should be done. For example, where a cheque is raised by the school to pay for a trip in advance, the trip leader must pass a list of the students on the trip, together with a copy of the letter sent to parents, to the Accounts Department at the same time as the request for the cheque, so that charges can be added to school bills quickly. Once Sinal numbers are known, any changes must also be passed through to the Accounts Department. Delays and/or errors in this process have the potential to create signiSicant problems. The trip leader musttakeresponsibilityforallKinancialarrangementsinconnectionwiththetrip.It is not good practice for members of staff to handle cheques and cash brought in by students. If money goes missing for any reason, then this can lead to unnecessary difSiculties. As far as possible, it is recommended that the cost of a school trip be added to the school bill. The letter sent to parents must make clear the method of payment. If cheques are requested then they must be made payable to St John’s College, not to individual members of staff, and handed in or senttoreception.Thelettersenttoparentsmustbeclearonthispoint. Any money left over at the end of the trip cannot be carried forward to the next Sinancial year or to future trips. It must either be credited to parents or, if the amount is too small for this to bepractical,creditedtotherelevantacademicdepartmentbudget.Supervision,includingratiosandvettingchecks(forexample,DBSchecksforvolunteersonovernightstays)There are no exact ratios for school trips. The trip leader must ensure that the stafSing for a trip is ‘reasonable’. This will depend on the age, gender mix, ability and behaviour of the students involved. It will depend on the type of activity undertaken, the nature of the journey and the type of accommodation if the trip is overnight. The competence of the adults supervisingatripmustalsobeconsidered,togetherwiththeneedforSirstaidcover.The School advises the following ratios for general activities such as visits to local historicalsitesandmuseumsorforlocalwalks,innormalcircumstances:● 1 adult for every 3 pupils in Nursery/EYFS (however, a higher ratio may be

requireddependingonthenatureofthevisit);● 1adultforevery6pupilsinschoolYears1to3● 1adultforevery10-15pupilsinschoolYears4to6;● 1adultforevery15-20pupilsinschoolYear7onwards.

However, it is stressed that these are only examples. Trip leaders must assess the risks and consideranappropriatesafesupervisionlevelfortheirparticulartrip.Trips to remote areas or those which involve more hazardous activities will clearly require a higher level of supervision, for example CCF activities and DofE expeditions, may require different ratios. It is also the case that many institutions which are open for visits by school parties have their own stafSing guidelines which need to be adhered to. Staff taking trips must

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